It’s raining cats and dogs in DuPage County. There are at least 110,000 cats and dogs living in the county, according to DuPage County Animal Control. That figure is based on the number of animals receiving rabies vaccines during the last year.
Although most people really love their pets and treat them as members of the family, roughly 3 percent of these animals find their way to Animal Control, where they are reclaimed, adopted or euthanized, according to animal control manager Ardith Baker.
The odds are in the dogs’ favor, however, when they find their way to animal control.
Last year, for instance:
— 1,680 dogs and 1,890 cats called animal control home for a time.
— Of those, 370 dogs and 410 cats were adopted.
— 697 dogs and 1,439 cats were euthanized.
— Although 622 dogs were reclaimed by owners, just 41 cats ever saw their owners again.
— Dogs most frequently let go by their owners are huskies, Labradors and golden retrievers. “People don’t realize what 80 pounds mean,” Baker said.
— Increasingly, dogs and cats have to share their digs at the shelter with rabbits–seen most frequently a couple of months after Easter when their novelty wears off–snakes, iguanas, hedgehogs and occasionally birds.
— The most unusual animal Baker has seen at the shelter is a mountain lion a Downers Grove man kept in his garage, a no-no as a house pet. The shelter found the lion a new home in Texas.
— While not every town in DuPage County has leash laws, unincorporated areas–usually known for less restrictive regulations–do.
